Manish Sisodia seeks bail in corruption case

Former deputy chief minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, has approached the High Court seeking bail in corruption and money laundering cases related to the alleged excise policy scam. The plea was presented before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora for an urgent hearing.

The Delhi High Court has agreed to list the case for a hearing on Friday after dismissing Sisodia's initial bail plea. Sisodia, represented by Rajat Bhardwaj and Mohd Irshad, emphasized his status as an MLA and urged the court to prioritize his bail pleas.

However, a Delhi court previously denied bail to Sisodia in the same case, stating that the timing was not appropriate for granting bail. The arrests of Chanpreet Singh, allegedly involved in managing AAP funds, have further complicated the situation.

The CBI and ED have accused officials of irregularities in modifying the Delhi Excise Policy, including extending undue favors to license holders, waiving or reducing license fees, and extending licenses without proper approval. The probe agencies claim that the accused officials diverted illegal gains and falsified account entries to avoid detection.

Following his arrest by the CBI on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the scam, Sisodia was later arrested by the ED on March 9, 2023, in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR. He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.